City to Consider 12 Affordable Home Developments (Houston, Spring: apartment complexes, renters, crime)

[Nakika]

Originally Posted by lotophage

I don't even know were the blighted areas of Houston are anymore. The east side of inner Houston seems to be filling up with 400k townhouses as fast as they can build them. My impression was that poor people were already migrating out toward the beltway and beyond in search of lower rents. That's at least the anti-gentrification story-line, I don't know how much truth there is in it.

The south part of Houston is full of blighted areas that are in need of a little TLC: Golfcrest, Sunnyside, South Side, Brookhaven. Gulfcrest already has a radioactive waste disposal site in its backyard so how much could a low income project hurt it? Come to think of it I drive around Houston all the time for work and the entire area seems pretty seedy with only a few notable exceptions.

[Vicman]

That is also why many smaller ISDs deliberately stagger grade configurations so everyone goes to the same school: i.e. a K-2 school and a 3-5 school, or a K-1, 2-3, 4-5 school each instead of having two or three separate K-5 schools.

Originally Posted by Watchful

(I also once noticed that some of the most stable educational situations in Texas were in the one-campus ISDs.....not one campus for K-12 but one campus choice for everyone within the district. Some districts get branded, of course, but I have lived in communities where everyone supported the same school, and it seemed as if the economically disadvantaged child had a better shot at finding a "way out" and the economically advantaged child did not seem to suffer.)

I think we on City-Data should consider the METRO bus map AND the city land use map (along w/ school district maps) and make suggestions for where to place new public housing units.

http://www.ridemetro.org/MetroPDFs/S...System-Map.pdf = METRO bus map

[Vicman]

Here is a map of Super Neighborhoods: https://www.houstontx.gov/superneigh...nmapsbyzip.pdf - Each has a land use map available. You can use it to determine if an area has empty land.

I think North Forest, Sunnyside area, and Hiram Clarke are good candidates for public housing:
* SN 40: Central Southwest: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/De..._Southwest.pdf
* SN 49: East Houston (North Forest area): http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/De...st_Houston.pdf
* SN 71: Sunnyside: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/De..._Sunnyside.pdf
* SN 76: South Acres/Crestmont (south of Sunnyside/near Minnetex): http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/De...stmontPark.pdf
Note undeveloped areas are gray
* SN 77: Minnetex: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/De...7_Minnetex.pdf

[lotophage]

Originally Posted by Vicman

I think we on City-Data should consider the METRO bus map AND the city land use map (along w/ school district maps) and make suggestions for where to place new public housing units.

Since Metro bus lines are placed to accommodate transit dependent populations, it seems like maybe a bad idea to in turn place transit dependent populations to accommodate bus lines as that creates a circular logic pattern. Isn't one of the strengths of buses that it's relatively easy to change and add routes?

Originally Posted by Vicman

Here is a map of Super Neighborhoods: https://www.houstontx.gov/superneigh...nmapsbyzip.pdf

The neighborhood demographic information is interesting as you can kind of see where lower income residents are moving from and to:

From 2000-2012
Houston baseline income growth -- +22%

Greater Eastwood -- +51%
Midtown -- +75%
Fourth Ward -- +79%
Greater Fifth Ward -- +42%
Greater Third Ward -- +269%
Second Ward -- 32%
Museum Park (Binz) -- +46%

Westwood -- -3%
Lawndale/Wayside -- -19%
Spring Branch Central -6%
IAH Airpot Area -- -1%
Greater Greenspoint -- -2%
Alief -- -6%
Braeburn -- -7%

Overall I'd consider that a positive migration as areas of concentrated poverty tend to exacerbate the problems associated with poverty. I'd think the best locations for low income people would be places where there was an abundance of low skill jobs combined with better than average expected educational outcomes for their children. So around the suburban commercial areas like Memorial City, City Centre, Katy Mills, central Sugar Land, The Woodlands Mall, etc.

[lipbalm]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

It would be better if affordable housing was provided purely by nonprofits who weren't using any government subsidies. That way they could build their projects wherever they wanted to without having to deal with community objections, as long as that community was unzoned (most of the region). We can all agree that no one should get to prohibit working class families from living in the same school zones, that's a flaw in the current tax credit system.

Of course, the feds should get out of the housing market altogether - both affordable housing and stuff for wealthy folks like the mortgage interest deduction.

What is your definition of "wealthy"?

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by lipbalm

What is your definition of "wealthy"?

Those in the highest tax brackets, they benefit more by far than middle-income home buyers do.

[Vicman]

It is true that ability to change routes is a strength; however if you put new public housing near existing bus lines one won't have to change them as much. Remember METRO's service area is generally limited to Harris County (it doesn't even serve Baytown as Harris County Transit does that) and Missouri City.

As for other proposed sites:
* Memorial City seems to be built out but there is an undeveloped parcel south of that along the Buffalo Bayou: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/De...6_Memorial.pdf
* Sugar Land is its own city and is fully zoned, so you'd have to convince Sugar Land city council to allow such developments; they'll probably say no. Katy Mills is within the City of Katy, so again you'd have to ask city council to play ball with you.
* I don't know what the land regulations are for The Woodlands (from Montgomery County or from the township side)

When poor people leave demolished public housing units in the central city they tend to go to lower income suburban neighborhoods anyway: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...ngle_page=true Did the Destruction of Chicago and demographic decline is hastened. Having developments in Sunnyside and Hiram Clarke will help slow down ring rot.

Originally Posted by lotophage

Since Metro bus lines are placed to accommodate transit dependent populations, it seems like maybe a bad idea to in turn place transit dependent populations to accommodate bus lines as that creates a circular logic pattern. Isn't one of the strengths of buses that it's relatively easy to change and add routes?



The neighborhood demographic information is interesting as you can kind of see where lower income residents are moving from and to:

From 2000-2012
Houston baseline income growth -- +22%

Greater Eastwood -- +51%
Midtown -- +75%
Fourth Ward -- +79%
Greater Fifth Ward -- +42%
Greater Third Ward -- +269%
Second Ward -- 32%
Museum Park (Binz) -- +46%

Westwood -- -3%
Lawndale/Wayside -- -19%
Spring Branch Central -6%
IAH Airpot Area -- -1%
Greater Greenspoint -- -2%
Alief -- -6%
Braeburn -- -7%

Overall I'd consider that a positive migration as areas of concentrated poverty tend to exacerbate the problems associated with poverty. I'd think the best locations for low income people would be places where there was an abundance of low skill jobs combined with better than average expected educational outcomes for their children. So around the suburban commercial areas like Memorial City, City Centre, Katy Mills, central Sugar Land, The Woodlands Mall, etc.

[LizzySWW]

Originally Posted by Vicman

As for other proposed sites:
* Memorial City seems to be built out but there is an undeveloped parcel south of that along the Buffalo Bayou: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/De...6_Memorial.pdf
*

Vicman, FYI - The undeveloped area on the map you linked is now developed. Memorial Green now owns the land & has been selling town homes for 2.2 million on avg.

This area of Memorial has a few old & inexpensive apts but they're owned by Metro National and MN is about ready to mow them over for more $$$ houses. Which will pretty much be the end of lower income people living in that school zone. And will also be the end of the very little diversity the schools currently have.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by LizzySWW

Vicman, FYI - The undeveloped area on the map you linked is now developed. Memorial Green now owns the land & has been selling town homes for 2.2 million on avg.

This area of Memorial has a few old & inexpensive apts but they're owned by Metro National and MN is about ready to mow them over for more $$$ houses. Which will pretty much be the end of lower income people living in that school zone. And will also be the end of the very little diversity the schools currently have.

Thanks for the update! Yeah, looks like Memorial City's not an option for low income housing.

The reality is that big cities are increasingly doing the French model - having desirable housing close to workplaces and having low income housing further away. This is why I advocate for embracing it and deliberately developing North Forest and Sunnyside to be our equivalents of Aubervilliers, Saint-Denis, and other Parisian banlieue. Yes, they are challenged places, but we'll always have "have-not" areas no matter what. Best to "infill" the land and prevent unnecessary further suburbanization and ring rot.

As for Super Neighborhood #10 here's a usage map: http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/De...ranch_West.pdf

[War Beagle]

Originally Posted by ftbend06

I believe it is that time of year when these developments must submit their application for tax credits. It is not a horrible program or the most horrible way to provide affordable housing, although no one wants it right by them, but it must be really profitable for the developers based on how competitive it is and how many of them apply. I'm not 100% for or against, but if you're going to allow these things, it does make sense to prioritize ones in good locations in proximity to good schools and jobs. Otherwise you'd just be perpetuating bad trends. But I also understand the challenge with doing this.

Yep, these tax credit apartments are incredibly common now. Cities are constantly being bombarded by proposals. All of the developers claim they are going to be the fanciest and nicest tax credit apartments ever.